Generation Assets

The City of Hamilton utilizes a diverse and environmentally conscious energy portfolio to generate and provide electricity to its customers. Listed below is a summary of the City’s generation facilities.

Meldahl Hydroelectric Facility

The Meldahl Hydroelectric Facility is a joint venture between the City of Hamilton and American Municipal Power (AMP). AMP, a non-profit corporation, serves as a joint action agency for a consortium of electric generating and/or distributing cities located in Ohio and several other states. In addition to Hamilton, a founding member of AMP, approximately 47 other cities through membership in AMP are participating in the Meldahl Hydroelectric Facility. As a project participant, the City of Hamilton receives 51.4% of all energy produced at Meldahl, while the other AMP member communities are entitled to the remaining 48.6%.

This 105 mega-watt (MW) hydroelectric plant, located on the Ohio River near Augusta, Kentucky, began full commercial operation in April 2016. The Meldahl Hydroelectric Facility is projected to generate approximately 550 million kilo-watt hours (kWh) of clean, renewable energy annually.

For more information on the Meldahl Hydroelectric Facility, click here.

Greenup Hydroelectric Facility
This 70.2 MW hydroelectric plant is located on the Ohio River near Franklin Furnace, Ohio. Greenup generates approximately 282 million kWh annually and was placed into commercial operation in May 1982. Beginning with the commercial operation of Meldahl, Hamilton will sell 48.6% of Greenup to AMP. Under the Meldahl/Greenup agreement, Hamilton will operate both facilities. Greenup will continue to be a key component of the City’s green energy portfolio.

Hamilton Hydroelectric Facility
This 2 MW hydroelectric plant is located on the Ford Canal which is part of the Great Miami Waterway. The facility has been owned by the City of Hamilton since 1963 and generates enough energy to supply more than 400 local homes annually.

In 1918, Henry Ford and Son Inc. purchased the Hamilton & Rossville Hydraulic Co. for approximately $200,000. The New York Times reported Ford’s plans to “spend millions of dollars developing the water power of the United States,” including the water powered tractor plant which Ford Motor Co. would open in Hamilton in 1920. The plant was located along the newly constructed Ford Canal and electricity was supplied to the plant by hydroelectric power generated from the canal.

Ford & Son Co. owned the hydroelectric facility on the canal until Ford’s local plant was closed and sold to Bendix Aviation Corp. in 1951. In 1963, the manufacturing plant was purchased by Ward Manufacturing Co., and the adjacent hydroelectric facility was acquired by the City of Hamilton to supplement the City’s electric generation assets.

Prairie State Energy Campus
This 1,600 MW coal-fired generating plant and coal mine is located near Lively Grove, Illinois. The facility is one of the cleanest coal-fired generating plants in the country and began commercial operation in 2012. The Prairie State Energy Campus utilizes domestic coal resources from its adjacent underground coal mine and deploys advanced electric generation technologies to produce electricity in a more efficient manner. The City receives a 35 MW allocation of Prairie State’s output.

AMP Fremont Energy Center (AFEC)

This 707 MW natural gas-fired electric generating plant is located in Fremont, Ohio and began commercial operation in 2012. The Fremont facility utilizes two natural gas-fired turbine generators to produce electricity and the excess heat from the combustion process is used to generate additional electricity via specially designed steam turbines, called heat recovery steam generators. The process enhances the efficiency of electricity generation by capturing heat that would otherwise be wasted, so it is less impactful on the environment. Hamilton receives a 34.5 MW allocation of the facility’s output.

For more information on the AMP Fremont Energy Center (AFEC), click here.

Joint Venture II (JV II) Natural Gas Peaking Plant
This 32 MW natural gas peaking plant is located on the City of Hamilton’s south side. Built in 1955, JV II utilizes clean-burning natural gas and is deployed during high electric use periods, primarily in the summer months. The City of Hamilton operates JV II in partnership with American Municipal Power.

GT2 Combustion Turbine
This 12 MW natural gas combustion turbine is located at the City of Hamilton’s Third Street Power Plant. Much like JV II, GT2 is operated as a peaking unit and deployed during high electric use periods, primarily in the summer months.